Preview: Illawarra vs Tasmania - Round 12, NBL24

Thursday, December 21, 2023

Can the Hawks take down the JackJumpers to give their fans an early Christmas present?

Saturday, December 23 at 7:30pm AEDT | WIN Entertainment Centre

Watch: Live on ESPN via Kayo Sports | International viewership details
Box scores: Download the free NBL App

Justin Tatum was quick to praise his coaching staff mid-week, following calls for the Hawks to offer him a new contract as the team’s head coach starting to gather steam.

Tatum said his assistant coaches are “saving his butt” with their knowledge of the league.

Derek Rucker has called for improved performances by Justin Robinson to help the club boost its Play-In hopes.

This weekend’s fixtures against Tasmania and Sydney have been described as ‘season-defining’ by Derek Rucker and Damon Lowery.

Illawarra
100-72 win over South East Melbourne
100-82 win over Perth
77-78 loss to Brisbane

Tasmania
82-90 loss to Sydney
88-89 loss to Perth
97-80 win over New Zealand

Justin Robinson
Gary Clark, Sam Froling and Tyler Harvey have been the trio to lead this Illawarra resurgence under Justin Tatum. Now, if the Hawks are to seriously make some waves about chasing a Play-In position, Justin Robinson needs to step up and be the player fans expected last season.

The ex-NBA guard made his return to the court in NBL24 after suffering a long stint on the sidelines, and while he’s been electric in fits and spurts he has, on the whole, flattered to deceive.

There’s no doubting Robinson’s athleticism, pedigree and ability to make good decisions at breakneck speed, but he and Tyler Harvey can’t quite seem to get on the same page in the Hawks’ backcourt setup.

His 26-point, seven assist performance in the Round 2 win over South East Melbourne showcased what he’s capable of, and he’s also had strong showings of 20 points and nine assists against Melbourne, and 14 points and five assists in last week’s win over the Phoenix.

The upward trend looks to be there, and if Robinson can start firing on all cylinders while Harvey, Froling and Clark continue their current form, then the Hawks will be a seriously deadly team going forward.

“I would like to see if he could get Justin Robinson going a little bit better – although I think Robinson has certainly lifted his play – we saw a much-improved Tyler Harvey who kind of looked like the Tyler Harvey we saw under Brian Goorjian, and Sam Froling is now playing really good basketball.”- Derek Rucker on Moments That Matter.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Robinson has SILENCED this NZ crowd. Can the Breakers find their way back? ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo Freebies | 10 Peach and 10 Play | Sky Sports in NZ ? <a href="https://t.co/wm11xO0Auq">pic.twitter.com/wm11xO0Auq</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1726098735589957965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Scott Roth
Yes, Scott Roth isn’t a player – but the way he handles the battle for minutes at the center position is one of the most intriguing storylines in the NBL at the moment.

The big minutes battle is between Marcus Lee and Will Magnay, and then one of Roth’s favourite lieutenants – Fabijan Krslovic – also needs to continue to get his minutes in what is a stacked position for Tasmania.

Krslovic brought up his 150^th NBL appearance in last week’s defeat to Sydney and he’s often been used as a yardstick for how gelled this JackJumpers team is. Lee has underperformed when compared to last season, but he’s still a defensive powerhouse and a beast in the paint.

Magnay is the cat amongst the pigeons in this situation. He’s finally fit again, and he’s playing to such a high standard that Damon Lowery believes he could almost be in the reckoning for a shot at making the Boomers’ Olympic roster.

Lee and Magnay both registered almost 15 minutes against Sydney, while Krlsovic had just under five, and against Perth Magnay played almost 20 minutes, Lee played nine and Krslovic played 11.

Roth looks to be rotating his centers based on who is in form, and who offers the best matchup, so who plays the most is almost anyone’s guess at this point – and it’s an incredible luxury for the former NBL Coach of the Year to have.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to swing that move (Magnay starting) necessarily right now, it’s something you can do at some point if you feel like it but I don’t see any reason to upset the apple cart for Tassie, or to overreact to those couple of losses last week.” – Liam Santamaria on NBL Now.

Scott Roth.

Sam Froling vs Marcus Lee and Will Magnay
The Illawarra Hawks currently rank second for points per game in the paint, and Sam Froling is leading the charge with more in that category than any other player in the competition, with 11.1 per contest.

Froling’s improved form has been a crucial part of the Hawks’ recent resurgence, but he’s set to come up against a pair of shot-blocking and defensive zeniths in Marcus Lee and Will Magnay on Saturday. No matter which of the pair starts there will be no easy wins for Froling at the basket against the JackJumpers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Justin Tatum has been impressed with Sam Froling's impact ? <br><br>Tune into the Saturday Switch live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/uguyXFkDNy">pic.twitter.com/uguyXFkDNy</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1735942085381947628?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Lee hasn’t quite reached the levels of his half-season stint with Melbourne United last season, but it’s worth noting he averaged 1.6 blocks per game in NBL23 and was named United’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Magnay, on the other hand, has been incredible since returning from injury and currently sits second in the competition for blocks per game, despite his limited minutes off the bench.

Lee offers a more restricted offensive game than Magnay, but is still a deadly finisher around the rim, while Magnay has slowly been flexing his ability to step out and his jump shots, so Froling will not be able to relax on the defensive side of the ball either.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Will Magnay is a shot-blocking machine ?<br><br>Catch the action live on ESPN via Kayo ? <a href="https://t.co/YwrVMwqMDm">pic.twitter.com/YwrVMwqMDm</a></p>— NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1735634491316551894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jordon Crawford has scored 20+ points in three consecutive appearances, which is the longest active streak in the NBL. Can the Hawks' defence slow him down?

Gettyimages 1857266368 Jordon Crawford.